Manufacture of paper and like bags with attached flat handles



p 1969 J. CLASS 3,464,325

MANUFACTURE OF PAPER AND LIKE BAGS WITH ATTACHED FLAT HANDLES Filed April 14, 1967 (PW/0,0 ,Wf/ 15 2 15?- 3-5 1 1 S W (/9002 A607 F F EA Carr/w 72 n----- [ED 3 13 (L a 6 I t 1m" kwmm [ 1 .5 K! cm United States Patent 3,464,325 MANUFACTURE OF PAPER AND LIKE BAGS WITH ATTACHED FLAT HANDLES Jean Class, Strasbourg, France, assignor to Les Ateliers de Constructions Mecauiques C. & A. Holweg S.A.R.L., Strasbourg, France, a corporation of France Filed Apr. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 630,951 Claims priority, application France, Feb. 10, 1967,

The portion of the term of the patent subsequent to Apr. 22, 1986, has been disclaimed Int. Cl. B31b 1/14, l/86, 49/04 US. Cl. 93-35 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method for the continuous manufacture of bags of paper or similar material, having flat attached handles, and more particularly dividing a tube into sections with the handles, comprising the steps of unwinding a strip of continuous material, forming two pairs of slots at spaced intervals in the strip of material, the slots of each of the two pairs of slots spaced from each other at a distance corresponding to the two legs of a 'U-shaped handle to be inserted therein, the strip of material not cut between each of the two pairs of slots nor between the slots of each of the two pairs of slots, positioning a U-shaped handle with its two legs in each of the pairs of slots, and thereafter separating sections of the strip of material equipped with the handles at the spaced intervals by cuttinp on both sides of the two pairs of slots as well as between the slots of each of the two pairs of slots by a triple cutting device.

The present invention relates to the continuous manufacture of bags of vpaper or similar material having flat attached handles. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvement in the manner of dividing the sections of the formed tube after placing the handles on the initially open strip of paper as it unrolls.

It is known, according to a process described in US. patent application Ser. No. 580,405 filed Sept. 19, 1966, that the initially open strip is slotted transversely to conform with the subsequent insertion of handles and that a tube is then formed after the handles are inserted around a mandrel, which is then divided by a double cutting device situated to the right and left of the slots, as shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawing.

According to the process described in US. patent appli: cation Ser. No. 617,133 filed Feb. 20, 1967, for Manufacture of Paper and like Bags with attached Flat Handles, which process is based upon the combination of a bag machine of the perforated type with an apparatus for the manufacture and positioning of the fiat paper handles, the principle of operation (which corresponds to FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawing) is that the division is effected by a simple tearing of the perforation provided over the whole width of the strip before the positioning of the handles.

Each of these two processes has advantages, but in certain cases also present certain drawbacks.

For example, in the process according to FIG. 2, where the perforation of the strip effected over its whole width offers a special profile, for the purpose of obtaining a bag having a fiat bottom with a simple fold, or alternately it can be perfectly straight (as indicated in FIG. 3), for the purpose of obtaining a bag with a shaped bottom, with turned-in corners or square bottom, a defective bag may be formed with paper having low mechanical strength due to the weakening of the strip.

3,464,325 Patented Sept. 2, 1969 In the process according to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawing it is materially impossible to make bags of a small width, irrespective of the quality of the paper utilized. The handles or loops must in fact possess an internal width at least sufiicient for the entry of a hand, otherwise they would be of no further use. If the width of the bag does not greatly exceed the width of the handles, and thus of the preliminary slots, the strip can no longer be drawn in the machine by reason of the significant weakening which it has suffered. Furthermore, in any case it would catch and break while passing over the mandrel, for the purpose of formation of the tube.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method having the combined advantages of the two embodiments for division of the sections of the tube and eliminating the drawbacks, by effecting a special combination of the two above-mentioned processes.

It is another object of the present invention to section the tube by limiting the length of the attenuaion lines effected by transverse perforations provided at the level where the handles are placed to the position where these handles are inserted, and in synchronously combining the clean cutting of the tube to the right and left with a tearolf effect dividing the perforated part, this combined operation being carried out preferably by two pairs of rollers, the first rotating at the exact speed of the tube and the second at a higher speed, but actuated at the precise moment of cutting.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide, as a variant, two'pairs of clean-cut or perforated slots provided at the position corresponding to the placing of the legs of the handles, and the separation of the sections of the tube is effected by means of a triple-cutting device combined if necessary with a tear-off system.

With the above and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate, respectively, a strip slotted according to a known process with separation of the strip by a double-cutting device, and the perforation of the strip according to a profile permitting the subsequent obtaining of a flat bottom with simple fold, for the purpose of obtaining a bottom of the type with tucked-in corners;

FIG. 3 illustrates a straight-line perforation;

FIG. 4 illustrates the improvement provided by the present invention, obtaining the separation of the sections, with a combined system for double cutting and tear-off;

FIG. 5 represents the cutting and tear-off device of the improvement according to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6A schematically illustrates the triple cutting means.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to FIGS. 4 and 5, a strip 1 in the course of unwinding is provided, at the level of the subsequent positioning of the handles, with two lines 2 and 2' attenuated by perforations, the length of which corresponds to the width of the handles.

After-the positioning of the handles and the formation of a tube 4, the sections are separated with their attached handles, a clean cutting of the parts 3 and 3' laterally to the right and left of the perforations 2 and 2 and a tearing of the perforations.

This operation is effected by a device according to FIG. 5 which comprises a first pair 5 of rollers 6 and 6 which pull at the exact speed of the tube and execute the right and left cuts. A second pair 7 of rollers 8 and 8' effects the tearing of the perforations and becomes operative at the precise moment of the cutting. The rollers 8 and 8' operate at a higher speed than that of the tube, for example, by virtue of elements which impart to the upper tear-off roller 8 an alternating vertical movement synchronized with the cutting, in such manner that it is in contact with the tube at the instant of cutting.

According to another embodiment of the present invention in accordance with FIG. 6, two pairs of slots are formed either by clean cutting or by perforation 10 and 10' at portions corresponding to the placing of legs 11 and 11' of the two handles, respectively. The handles are then aflixed to the strip and the latter is folded so that the two handles are in exact superposition, the latter meaning sufliciently in coincidence for the subsequent separation. Thereafter the separation of the sections of the tube, as indicated in FIG. 6A is effected by means of a triple-cutting device (cutting to the right 12, to the left 12." and in the middle 12), combined if necessary with a tear-off system.

The described improvement according to the invention is equally applicable for bags having internal handles and for bags having external handles, and the positioning of an internal or external reinforcing strip in accordance with the process according to the above-mentioned application Ser. No. 580,405 may be used.

I claim:

1. A method for the continuous manufacture of bags of paper or similar material, having flat attached handles, and more particularly dividing a tube into sections with said handles comprising the steps of unwinding a strip of continuous material,

forming two pairs of slots at spaced intervals in said strip of material, the slots of each of said two pairs of slots spaced from each other at a distance corresponding to the two legs of a U-shaped handle to be insertedtherein, said strip of material not cut between each of said two pairs of slots nor between the slots of each of said two pairs of slots,

positioning a U-shaped handle with its two legs in each of said pairs of slots,

affixing said two legs of said handles to said strip,

folding said strip so that said handles are in exact superposition, and

thereafter separating sections of said strip of material equipped with said handle at said spaced intervals by cutting on both sides of said two pairs of slots as well as between the slots of each of said two pairs of slots by a triple cutting device.

2. The method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said forming of two pairs of slots is performed by perforating.

3. The method, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of tearing off said separated sections with a tear-off apparatus.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,212,469 8/1940 French 9333 3,283,633 11/1966 Finke 9333 X 3,409,209 11/1968 Finke 93--35 3,424,067 1/1969 Blair 93-35 FOREIGN PATENTS 659,505 3/1963 Canada.

WAYNE R. MORSE, IR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 93-1, 33, 58 

